Q. Do airlines still offer bereavement fares? I have a mother who is 88 years old and in fragile health. I dread the day when that inevitable call will come.

A. Bereavement fares are available on most airlines. However, the discount can seem pretty insignificant when applied to those hefty last-minute fares. You can try calling the airlines to see how much it will cost, or searching online through a fare search engine (like Travelocity). But your best bet will be sites that specialize in 11th hour deals, like Lastminute.com or Priceline.com, all of which list airfare/car rental packages that are often times much less than what most sites charge for the airfare alone. Also, many airlines have weekend fare sales, and we post them on our website and newsletter.